Difference between Lyman and RCBS dial calipers?

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1TwistedGimp

1TwistedGimp

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I recently picked up a lyman dial caliper as a backup to my hornady digital caliper, not because I needed it but because I wanted to learn how to read one and to possibly use to double check the digital one.

I'm asking because the lyman seems "off" the dial isn't at a 90° and the copper lock strip just about falls out as I open the caliper to take a reading, as I go to close it up the copper lock strip hangs up and keeps me from closing entirely.
I have to tighten the lock screw down till it makes it difficult to operate to keep the copper strip from sliding past the set screw and hanging up on it when I go to close them.

Is the rcbs set any better made or are they the same calipers and just "branded"?

I am definitely returning the lyman calipers, I don't mind spending another $20 on the rcbs if they're better but if they're the same and just branded different then I'll just use the money for something else I want instead.

I'd like to return the lyman calipers tonight because I'll be near the store I got em from. If anybody has any experience with both of them I appreciate some advice.

1TG
 
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Calipers are calipers IMHO. I use Starrett made in America calipers. There shouldn't be any loose parts I've never seen the ones you have so I can't make a diagnosis You probably have a defective set. By all means return it.
 
Deadeye,
Thanks for replying, these definitely are defective and I'll be returning them...
Starrett would be nice but are a bit more than I can do right now...

Still, I hope someone on here can tell me something about the rcbs calipers, from my web searching it appears they might be the exact same callipers and are just rebranded...

1TG
 
"it appears they might be the exact same callipers and are just rebranded..."

That's correct. Ditto the others, including Midway. Ditto Harbor Freight Tools, who frequently have them on sale for $10-$12. Pro grade tools are great but reloaders have no need for such costly tools, that's why all the reloading tool companies get theirs from the same Chinese maker and just change the plastic brand labels.

Your caliper is defective, nothing should be hanging up or down.
 
$10-12? My RCBS dial calipers were about $50, and I much prefer them to digital ones.
 
Problem solved,

I returned the lymans and put the money towards a De Santis cozy partner holster instead to replace the blackhawk nylon holster I've been using and have come to hate :evil:.

They wouldn't let me look at the rcbs calipers and I didn't want to end up bringing them back so I just covered a different need.

Friday is my birthday and wife sent me out to find something I wanted. I had been looking for a better holster and look at them everytime I'm in the store but couldn't find one specifically for the sig p938. I ended up selecting the one that fits a kahr pm series, the 938 fits perfectly...

Thanks for all the help!

1TG
 
I use a set of central tools dial calipers. I'm not sure what you mean by the "copper lock strip" but if the dial is off, you simply rotate it to zero when the caliper is closed.

Nothing should be loose, but there should be no pieces you can remove either. My calipers came with a copper calibration strip, but it is not needed to use the caliper.
 
I've got both and I prefer dial also. It is just easier for me to interpret for some reason. Perhaps I'm just an old guy. Hey... my first calipers were Vernier calipers... no dial... no batteries... just little hash marks to interpret. Try one of those sometime and you'll be glad you were born when you were. You'll need instructions to figure it out!

Edit - you also get what you pay for. A nice Starrett, although it costs a lot more than Chinese calipers with someone's brand name glued on, is very, very nice to handle. You have to pay for precision though. With our hobby, I think that most any calipers will do the job satisfactorily.
 
"Edit - you also get what you pay for."

Well, if you don't pay for it yoy won't get anything but the only difference between the RCBS and Harbor Freight 6" steel calipers is about $50.

I'm a "home shop" machinist. I have pro micrometers and calipers by B&S, Starrett and the Swiss. I got my first cheep Chinese dial caliper (Midway) for the less demanding needs of my loading bench. Found it was well within the accuracy range of my "good" tools as checked on my 'Jo' Blocks.

I now have several H.F. mics plus more dial and digital calipers; they too are quite accurate and, at the price difference of about 12 to 1, I hardly care if they might not last as long. The original Midway dial caliper is now some 17 years old and doing fine; I may never use my old costly measuring tools again!

For some things I prefer to use a digital caliper, some times I prefer a dial. H.F. sells them so inexpensively it's helpful and practical to have both on the loading bench. (If your kid uses your micrometers as C clamps on wood projects kill him and hide the body.)
 
Pro grade tools are great but reloaders have no need for such costly tools
Click to expand...

Very true.
We bought Starrett calipers but the only reason we did is that we got them at a local pawn shop for $15. I wouldn't have paid full price for them for my needs.
 
The only reason I have Starrett and Mityutoyo mike is I got them for FREE. Like the others said the less expensive ones are fine for what we use them for. I also have a Mauser vernier caliper from Germany with the instruction sheet in german that's at least 60 yrs old. Quality at a price.
 
Getting a good deal and spending less money is always fine... and I agree. However... I also like the feel and the precision of really good tools, made out of fine materials, with fit and finish that is sometimes better than you need it to be. Good tools are a joy to work with.
 
Onewolf said:
I'm curious why? More accurate? I have both and the digital is much faster for my brain to process.
Click to expand...
The digital jumps around too much. Just a hard stare and it changes. Once you get the hang of reading the dial, it's much more consistant.
 
My grandpa was a machinist, he worked on submarines during WWII.
So I have his Starrett micrometer.
I emailed Starrett to see if we could figure out how old it is, but they changed so little over the years that they couldn't help.
They could've been made anywhere from 1918 - 1975.

I also have a no brand name digital calipers which I bought from MidwayUSA about 5 years ago.
(the Chinese one)

They work fine for the most part.
(when they flaked out, I just replaced the battery - they work fine again)
 
I got a set of mitutoyo veriner calipers. Needs a LOT of light to read em, but I like em. I'm quirky though and gravitate towards the old stuff even though newer designs may be faster to read and just as accurate. I got them for the cost of 200 cast bullets in a trade.. cost of about 21 dollars. If you look at old pawn shops, garage sales, etc, you can find the BIG name ones pretty inexpensively.
 
I too am an analog guy trapped in a digital world. Finally switched over to digital calipers and mics but my analogs are always available when the batteries fail.
 
We bought Starrett calipers but the only reason we did is that we got them at a local pawn shop for $15. I wouldn't have paid full price for them for my needs
Click to expand...

This ^^

Stop in at a pawn shop or two and you can probably pick up a good set of quality calipers for very little money. I've gotten some excellent machinists levels, calipers, micrometers, drafting tools, etc. for a small fraction of their original cost.

For use in my "hobby" gun smithing, wood working and small machine repair they can't be beat.
 
"The only reason I have Starrett and Mityutoyo mike is I got them for FREE. "

At that price, go pro. But "free" isn't an option for many of us and paying $150-$200 for the "feel" of an occasional use tool that can be effectively equaled with a $12 Harbor Freight tool makes no sense to most of us.
 
I do not know a machinist that can not feel the difference between a quality micrometer and one sold at Harbor freight, for those that can not feel the difference in quality can not appreciate the difference in price.

I purchased a Pratt & Whitney electronic gage from a builder/manufacturer of mills in Connecticut, I found measuring something down to .000005" annoying. I remove the electronics then installed a dial indicator to the stylist. Going from .000" to 11.00" is smooth and absolutely quite, On other equipment I can count the number of teeth on the rack/arbor.

I went to Cabels, they were offering discounts and credit cards at a new store opening. I purchased a dial caliper, not long after that I went back, and collected the warranty, and it is now time to return for more warranty

F. Guffey.
 
Personally for mesuring I will always use a quality set from a company <b>I</b> personally trust. I understand this is different for each of us. I wont always buy new if I can find a deal on a good set used from a name I trust I will do that, otherwise I will save and look for deals. I have two sets of harbor freight digital calipers that I bought cheap to mess with. Both vary by about .08 from each other and it never makes sense in how or why. Then again I grew with a father and two grandfathers who were machinist so I got a pretty decent leg up on tools from the start.
 
"Both vary by about .08 from each other "

Both vary what by .08? If you mean .08 thousant's, that's well inside what any caliper can be expected to accurately do. If you mean they differ by 80 thousants ... welll ... really? And I really like the quality and feel of a Purdy shotgun but considering the difference in cost for no gain in use I'll stick with my Remington.

I haven't noticed anyone saying they can't "feel" the difference between a $12 measuring tool and one costing ten times as much but the point of the tool is to measure with it, not feel it.
 
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I don't know about the cheapo models, but models like Mitutoyo and Starret(?) have two inset adjusting screws on the top of the frame for the gib.

Sounds like those were loose on yours and let the gib slide out of the frame, which in turn would also affect zeroing and accuracy by letting the jaws move freely and not give a good reading.

I use Mitutoyo tools, only because I worked there for 17yrs+ and got mine all for free- plus I know how to repair them all and have a few connections for parts should I need. :D


.
 
You are correct its a minimal amount and for the use of reloading its not that imporant, its the fact that I can measure the same item in the same manner 10 times and get 5 different readings. Will it impact much in the end in terms of reloading? More than likely no. I bought my last set of Mitutoyo's from ebay for $75. They are well used but in very good shape and were well cared for.
 
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